Latch for automobile and other doors



J. T. MOLLOY AND H. HEMPE.

LATCH FOR AUTOMOBILE AND OTHER oooas.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30', 1920.

Patented June 13, 1922.

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aosnrn THOMAS ivronrov AND HARRY HEMPE, or roUeHKE ErsIn, NEW YORK.

LATCH FOR AUTOMOBILE AND OTHER DOORS. I

Specification of Letters Patent. P t td J 13, 1922,

Application filed April 30, 1920. Serial No. 377,909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat we, Josnrrr THOMAS Mommy and HARRY IIEMPE, both citizens of the United States, and residents ot Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches for Automobile and other Doors; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description oi the lIlVBIllllO11,-SllCl1 as wiltenable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to door latches, par- 7 ticularly for automobiles.-

The invention has "for its object the provision of a latch of this character in which there are no projecting members on either side of the door when the door is closed to mar the appearance of the vehicle, and which may be caught in the clothing, with consequent damage thereto on accidental opening of the door.

A further object 01 the invention is to provide a latch of this character in, which the door is held securely locked by a rigid bolt 'which can not be'dislodged by jar or strain upon the door, but only when directly actuated for the purpose.

A further object of -he invention is to provide a latch of this class in which the latch i'srelea'sed by a push button in the top of the door, which is readily accessible from either within or without the door by pressmg the button below the top surface of the' door, whereby the button may be easily actuated when desired to open the door, but

cannot be accidently opened by any pressure signed for open cars with the push button.

in the supposed upper edge of the door, and

also a modification thereof whereby the same form of latch may be used in closed cars with separate operating devices within andwithout the car.

In the accompanylng drawings,

- Fig. 1 is a plan view looking down on themeeting edges of the door. and the door j amb showing the parts of the latch in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 are transversevertical seethe manner shown in the drawings.

tions'on lines4-4 mat-5, respectively of Fig.2,"

Fig; 6 is a detail view showing the end of the latch spindle in its casing; and

Fig. 7 is an elevational view partially in section on a reduced scale showing the application 04" the latch to closed cars.

Referring to the drawings, particularly to Fig. 1, 1 indicates the door jamb of the vehicle or other part to .whichthe door is applied, and 2 indicates the door. A hole:

.3 is bored in the door parallel with its longitudinal edge, and seated in thehole3 1S a tubular casing 4 with its upper edge flush with the top of the hole, b'ut with. its

bottom clear oi"; the bottom of the hole to allow an open space 5 beneath the casing.

Working in the casing 4 is av cylindrical push button 6 having a lowerextension 7 in the form of a flat bar with a twist 8. in the bar near the bottom of the casing, the end" 1 of the bar projecting through a slot in the bottom wall of the casing. Theend of the bar is provided with a pinor cotter 9 to prevent the button and bar being withdrawn from thecasing, and a spring 10 within the casing and surrounding the bar, holds the button in its most elevated position as permltted by'the pin orv cotter 9. In such position the head of'the button is above the surface of the upper edge of the door, in The casing 4 is held in place in the door in any suitable manner, not shown,jand is preferably inserted in the door before the door is assembled inits metal shell 11 so that the. margin of the hole in the shell overlies the edge of the tubularcasing, thereby providing a neat finish forthe latch. I

- The twist in the bar 7 forms with the slot in the bottom of the casinga screw or spiral cam which has the effect of rotating the push button when it is depressedto thereby withdraw the latch 12, which consists of a rigid bar fixedly attached to the side of the pushbutton and projecting through a slot in the side wall of the casing. The slot 13 in the casing is just the width of the bolt at its upper part, butat its lower end is withdrawn in the manner shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 5 to permit a partial TOtiLtlOD of the latch when the button is pressed downward, thematerial of the door alongside the widened part of the slot being also cut away for this purpose.

To engage the latch'bar 12 and hold the door closed, we preferably provide a facing plateli onthe door jamb having a slot 15 therein to receive the latch bar. An overlying plate 16 is fastened to thedoor jamb on top of the plate 14 in the manner shown in Fig. 4;, and this plate is provided with a spring tongue. 17 havingits edge spaced from the vertical edge 18 of the slot 15 by a distance equal to the width of the bolt, "whereby the latter will spring past the tongue 17 and be caught between the edge of the tongue and the edge 18 of the slot, thereby holding the door firmly latched. The meeting edges of the door jamb 2 and door 1 will preferably be inclined to the plane of the door to permit the end of the bolt to reach thespring tongue when the dooris slammed without leaving-an edge opening in'th'e door jamb, as will be evident from Figs. '1 and 2.

The inclined portion of the slot 15 corre sponds with the path taken by the edge of the bolt when the pushbutton is depressed, to thereby turn the bolt toward the rear, or inside, of the car to a suflicient extent for its end to clear the spring tongue 17 when the door is opened. .The twist 8 in the bar 7 preferably terminates a little above the slot in thebottom wall of the tubular casing 1 so'that the first depression of the button will not cause the latch to turn, but will press it straight down to asufficient extent to clear the shoulder 18 of the slot in the face plate.

stop'lZ, whereby the 'door will be heldtightly 'latchedand rattling prevented. -The By this arrangement the bolt 18 which has fiat side faces, is held when the door is latched between the straight shoulder 18 of the slot and the straight edge of the spring ehief-causeof rattling in automobile doors when the ordinar beveled bolt is'employed,

I is the tendency o the door to swing inward .manner shown in Fig. 7.

when through wear or distortion of the side of thecar the space between the face of the 45 l/Vith our improved square bolt working between the square edges as described, the

'jamb'andthe edge of the door is enlarged.-

lateh will not develop any lost motion by [reason ofthe door pulling away from the jamb until it is pushed away sufficiently for the bolt to be free altogether.

Our improved'bolt is particularly applicable to open cars as the flush push button formsnot'only a neat and inconspicuous door control, but is much superior to the ordinary latches, projecting parts of which may be inadvertently caught and shifted to release the door when the car is in motion.

Our improved latch may, however, be applied with advantage to closed cars in the As here shown, the top of the button 6 is reduced to provide a swiveled connection with a cross bar 20 extending through a slot in the door and terminating in knobs or handles to be engagedby the user. The door will be opened by thrusting straight down on. the handle, thereby depressing the push button 6 and releasing the latch in the manner described,

meetingedges of said door and jamb, a

bolt carried by said member adapted to engage a recess in theotherpart, and means for causing a rotation of saidlatch-carrying member by reason of its longitudinalmove ment to thereby effect a withdrawal of the bolt. 1

2. In a door latch, the combination with a door and its jamb. of a latch-carrying member mounted. in one of said parts for longitudinal movement parallel with the longitudinal movement parallel with the,

meeting edges of said door and jamb, a.

bolt carried by said member adapted to engage a recess in the other part, means for causing a rotation of said latch-carrying member by reason of its longitudinal movement to thereby effect a withdrawal of the bolt, said means comprising a fixed guide for said latch-carrying member and a spiral cam connection between said member and said fixed guide.

3. In a latch for automobile'and other doors, *the combination with the door and its jamb of a bolt carried'by one of said parts, said bolt being mounted for rotation about an axis parallel with the meeting faces of said door and jamb to effect the.

withdrawal of the bolt, and a shoulder carriedby the other part for cooperation with said bolt to hold the door latched, one of 7 said engaging parts "being mounted for independent movement away from the other.

=sothat the'door may be latched without rotating the bolt.

4. In a latch for automobile or other doors, the combination with the door and its jamb of a bolt carried by one'of said parts, said bolt being mounted for. rotation about an axis parallel with. the meeting faces of said door and jamb to effect the withdrawal of the bolt, and a member car ried by the other part to be engaged by thebolt, said member having a resiliently mounted part positioned to be thrust back by the pressure of the'bolt when the door is closed, whereby the door may be latched without rotation of the bolt.

5. In a latch for vehicle and other doors,

the combination with the door and its jamb of a bolt-carrying member mounted on one of said members for rotation about an axis parallel with the meeting edges of the door and the jamb and also for movement parallel to such axis, a cooperating piece carried by the other said part, said piece having a slot to receive said bolt, a part of said slot having a shoulder parallel with the axis of the bolt-carrying part and a transversely extending part whereby said bolt may be shifted axially to clear the shoulder and then turn transversely to withdraw the bolt clear of the jamb.

6. In a latch for vehicle and other doors, the combination with the door and its jamb of a bolt-carrying member mounted on one oisaid parts for movement in a direction parallel with the meeting "faces of the door and jamb, a cam engaging said bolt-carrying member and arranged to effect a rotation of the bolt-carrying member upon its said movement, a cooperating piece carried by the other said part, said piece having a slot to receive said bolt, a part of: .said slot having a shoulder parallel with the axis of the bolt-carrying part and a transversely extending part whereby said bolt may be shifted axially to clear the shoulder and then turn transversely to withdraw the bolt clear of the jamb.

7. In a latch for vehicle and other doors, the combination with the door and its jamb of a bolt-carrying member mounted on one of said parts for movement in a direction parallel with the meeting faces of the door and jamb, a cam engaging said bolt-carrying member and arranged to effect a rotation of the bolt-carrying member upon its said movement, said cam being so shaped as to effect the rotation oi the bolt-carrying member after a predetermined longitudinal movement, a cooperating piece carried by the other said part, said piece having a slot to receive said bolt, a part of said slot having a shoulder parallel With the axis of the bolt-carrying part and a transversely extending part whereby said bolt may be shifted axially to clear the shoulder and then turn transversely to withdraw the bolt clear of the jamb.

8. In combination with a door and jamb a latch bolt adapted to engage a recess in one of said parts, a member mounted in the other of said parts and movable parallel to the meeting edges of the parts, said bolt being carried by said member, and con nections between said bolt and said member of such a nature as to impart to the bolt an up and down motion, upon actuation of said member in the aforesaid direction, for the purpose of withdrawing the latchbolt from the recess.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto afiixed our signatures.

JOSEPH THOMAS MOLLOY. HARRY HEMPE. 

